Ms Ivanickaya has been accused of torturing the feline by her furious followers.

Police spokesman Natalia Chovpylo said: “If we establish that the animal was tortured, we will open a criminal case.”

UAnimals, the largest animal rights group in Ukraine, posted: “The cat’s owner thought it fun to give her pet cat a tattoo. Unfortunately, the cat spent the worst hours of his life. It is impossible even to look at these photos!”

“This cat’s life is better then yours. Maybe it is hell for you, but he feels just fine. He has not been castrated and he never will be, this would be real cruelty,” she said.

“I checked with the vet before getting him a tattoo and they were fine with it and a vet was present while they were doing the tattoo, so everything was under control.”

She added: “The cat is treated with love and care ... he is very smart and enjoys his happy life. The tattoo was made on the upper layer of skin. Only one to two millimetres, he did not feel any pain. Right after the procedure he behaved normally and started to go on with his normal routine.”